Broadside entitled 'The Lamentation of the Butchers Wives in Musleburgh for Weighting of the Flesh'

Transcription

T H E

LAMENTATION

Of the Butchers Wives in Musleburghfor weighting of the Flesh.

Some Boutcher's Wives got a fine Soup. Wi turning of the Chapen Stoup.Clashing wi Drunken Bessie Shaw,The,souest Coarse among thnm a,Began to rail against the Law,For Weighting Flesh and highting Ale,And Greeting told their dreary Tale.Quoth Peching, pulfer'd Jean M'Millan,We Flesher Wives may all cry Killing.This Day I've gain'd but ae poor Shilling,And that e'n slipped or'e my Throat,For Ale's sae Dear, a Quarts a Groat.Before my Poutch was never Bare,For well could Flesh a Chopen spare,But since it was weighted, just wi Grief,My Body's lost three Stane of Bieff;And our good Man, that drnnken WeightCame reeling Hame; the other Night,And swore since Flesh was sold by Weight,That with his meikie Rung he'd sell me,And openly in Mercat sell me,Quoth Bessie, since you Weight the Meat,It's very easy for to Cheat.Gi order when the Beasts are flain,That Blood among the Beff remain,And ne,re head the Bayers Curse,lt's ay well done that fills the Purse,Soncy says Kett well may you be,Ye've ay a good Advice to gi.Ye are a dainty drunken Wife,And e'n as sharp's the killing Knife,Indeed your Counsels very good,Ye ken ther's nane but Jews hates Blood,Ye heard this Day the Jute Wife tel'dWhen twenty penny Ale was sel'd.She faud a Way to cure the Matter,And ckt it up wi' Caller Water,Alace says Nansy at Brig-end:We us'd to make a bony Fend.And ay had Siller for to Spend,